Just a Few Seconds

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Denis Rimovich Khismatullin
71st Russian Chess Championship Superfinal; Satka, September 1, 2018
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bf5 7. 0-0 Be7 8. Re1 0-0 9. Nc3 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bxd3 11. Qxd3 Nd7 12. a4!? A bid to improve on 12. Rb1 Nb6 13. Qf5 Re8 14. Bg5 f6 15. Bf4 Bd6 16. Rxe8+ Qxe8 17. Bxd6 cxd6 18. Qf4 ½ : ½ Nepomniachtchi – Jobava, 7th Chess World Cup, Tbilisi 2017, match game 1. But indeed also with the text move White achieves very little. 12. ... c6 13. a5 Re8 14. c4 dxc4 15. Qxc4 Qc7 16. Bd2 Bd6 17. g3 Nf6 18. Bg5 Ne4 19. Qd3 Nxg5 20. Nxg5 g6 21. Ne4 Be7 22. Qb3 Red8 23. Rad1 b5 24. axb6 Qxb6 25. Qa4 a5 26. c3 Qb5 27. Ra1 Qxa4. Khismatullin opts for a superactive defence, finally ceding a Pawn that he judges as being of little importance. 28. Rxa4 c5 29. dxc5 f5 30. Nd2 Bxc5 31. Nc4 Rd3 32. Rc1 f4 33. gxf4 Rf3 34. Rc2 Rxf4 35. Rxa5 Rxa5 36. Nxa5 Kf7 37. Nb3 Bb6 38. c4 Ke6 39. Kg2 g5 40. Re2+ Kf6 41. c5 Bc7 42. h3 h5 43. Rc2 Ke6 44. c6 Kd6 45. Rd2+ Ke5. 45. ... Kxc6 46. Nd4+ Kb7 47. Ne6 Rf6 48. Nxg5 leads to a worse version of the same ending. 46. Rc2 Kd6. Aiming to repeat moves — but 46. ... g4! 47. h4 Rf3 48. Nd2 Rd3 seems very close to a draw. 47. Nc5 Bb6 48. Na6 Rf7 49. Kg3

49. ... Ra7?? Obviously a dramatic blunder that loses immediately. Of course, equally disastrous was 49. ... Bxf2+?? 50. Rxf2 Rxf2 51. Kxf2 Kxc6 52. Ke3! with an elementary win, but 49. ... Rf8(!) appears to offer a possible way to save the day, as after — for instance — 50. c7 Kd7 51. Nc5+ Kc8 52. Ne6 Rf5 it seems hard — and in any case harder — for White to make progress. 50. c7! Bxc7 51. Nxc7 Rxc7 52. Rxc7 Kxc7 53. h4! Sic et simpliciter. The King and Pawn ending is trivially won. 1 : 0.

Ian Aleksandrovich Nepomniachtchi. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.